hey guys picked up a ek10 a couple months ago on the cheap. It needed quite a bit of TLC which it is currently getting. I have since been able to clean the carb, replace a couple ignition components, replace the gas tank( leaked ), aired up the tires etc etc. I currently have it running driving and mowing very well. I have yet to change the oil in it becuase their is no easy way of doing this from what i can tell. I have done some searching around and came across the service bulletin about a new drain location featured on the 931-01 models which located the drain to be in the sump cover and accessed by a allen shape plug. According to my serial number which is 4261039.....the tra10d engine was manufactured in January of 1966. My thinking is that this was before the addition of the new oil drain location even though I have a 931-01 model. I was able to acquire the original maunals( which have a date of 9/66 on them ) with this machine including a complete list of maintenance that was complete by the owner up until 1975 which is when there is no more info on anything done. The family that owned this was what looked to be a kind that once something stopped working they went out and bought another machine and left the other ones sit. Anyway, is there any really good procedure for changing oil in this thing? The only easy way I can come up with is to siphon the oil out the dip stick tube. Otherwise it looks like the engine has to come out to change it......Also I am starting to think if he did change the oil that he may have changed the trans fluid and not the engine oil lol.....any help is greatly appreciated....

Your Estate keeper would have been marketed for the 1967 Line and if that engine originally came with the machine the plug will be right in the center on the bottom of the gear case cover, it threads into the housing so the only thing you can really feel is the hole for the allen wrench. The early 7Hp estate keepers manufactured from 64' to 66' had the drain plug in the same location as a tubeframe and you had to remove the rear wheel to change the oil.

I have worked on a few eks, if you take some pics I can most likely get you going in the right direction. I have found out that a lack of maintenance records has little to do with what was done to a machine as most people don't keep very good records on their machines. Most estate keepers I come across now seem to be in pretty rough condition, I have seen a few that have been taken care of but definitely not the majority! You will find there are a few weak spots that stand out, engine mounts cracking being one. Engine cover cracks seem to be quite common also, I also run across quite a few that split down the middle. Good luck have fun.

Your Estate keeper would have been marketed for the 1967 Line and if that engine originally came with the machine the plug will be right in the center on the bottom of the gear case cover, it threads into the housing so the only thing you can really feel is the hole for the allen wrench. The early 7Hp estate keepers manufactured from 64' to 66' had the drain plug in the same location as a tubeframe and you had to remove the rear wheel to change the oil.

Have any pics of your tractor?

Yes it has been a while Brian. I still work on the tractors and what not but most of the time....i know what im doing....needless to say its really second nature to work on the old bolens but this one got me stomped. This is the first ek I have ever seen in person or have owned. I felt along what you are calling the gear case ( I call it the oil sump cover, correct me if im wrong ) and used a flash light as well and I just dont see or feel it. The way the service bulletin shows it should be plain as day to see. I actually had the notion to pull the engine just to check it out for sure. You wouldnt happen to have any pics yourself of it?? Also I plan on taking some photos of it.....actually I thought I did but I couldnt find any, so I guess thats on my list of things to do tomorrow...

Even with the pipe plug in the engine gearcase cover, it is not fun standing on your head trying to find it! So, I've added an extension to the oil drain, consisting of a 4" pipe nipple and a pipe cap. At least you can feel it to remove the cap (hopefully the cap loosens before the nipple), or, worst case, the nipple serves as a handle to reinsert in the engine gearcase cover hole.

yep dont have it, thanks brian, i guess i will have to siphon the oil out. I took some photos of the bottom side of the engine as well as the rest of the tractor to share with everyone here so later on i will upload them so everyone can see it